


Just One Night

by RavenskyInuChain



Category: Star vs. The Forces Of Evil
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, I won’t make her the bad guy, Love, Oneshot, Season 2, Season 2 spoilers, Slight Jarco, Star suffers so much in season 2 help her, Svtfoe, Unrequited Love, i love Jackie as a character, onesided starco, plot if you squint, relationships, starco
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-29
Updated: 2018-04-29
Packaged: 2019-04-29 12:29:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14472777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RavenskyInuChain/pseuds/RavenskyInuChain
Summary: Star and Marco are getting ready for Friendship Thursday but turns out that Marco invited Jackie and Star’s really not happy about it. Tensions rise, arguments are exchanged, but it all will end peacefully, because these two are the best of friends and know how to solve their problems. Of course, one problem being that Star has a mad crush on Marco. And another problem was that Marco was having his own issues and couldn’t seem to say the right things.





	Just One Night

**Author's Note:**

> Set post Season 2 Episode 14 “Bon Bon the Birthday Clown” And before “Just Friends”.
> 
> They might be a little ooc but this is also a no-bashing-Jackie zone she’s an amazing character. She is not the villain, just a heads up.
> 
> Enjoy!

Friendship Thursdays had always been a Star and Marco thing. That’s just how it was. Always Star and Marco, no one else. Well, besides the time they invited Pony Head and had that _way-too-many_ mushroom pizza and had that blanket Snugglie — No, that had been a once in a while thing. The day of Thursday was dedicated to the karate boy and the shining star and their friendship.

Or at least, it _had_ been.

And then, it _wasn’t_.

It’s incredible how quickly things can change. And now we had a depressed Star Butterfly and a guilty Marco Diaz.

It wasn’t even a normal Thursday when it happened. Usually it would involve kicking monster butt after school and sending that cretin Ludo back to where he came from along with Bird and Spider. And yet, here was the problem: He already had what he wanted. Ludo had taken Star’s spellbook and Glossaryck with it the night of the clown séance.. And the night of Marco’s date with Jackie. The poor princess had been devastated the night it happened, and Marco had been unable to cheer Star up for a decent amount of time after almost losing her in the black void. Yeesh, now _that_ was a scary thing to remember. But then she seemed to revert to her old bubbly self, smiling and happy again. She needed her time. But nothing could bring her down for long.

That is.. Until today’s events. 

* * *

 Marco had been in charge of making the snacks, and Star was to get the couch and movie ready for their binge watching, as they always did on Friendship Thursday. Usually they did pizza, but the princess was in the mood for Marco’s super awesome nachos, as she called it. And the boy hadn’t objected, knowing he could make some pretty awesome nachos.

“Do you know what you want to watch tonight?” The Latino called from the kitchen, his voice echoing off the walls. It didn’t matter if he was loud. Mr. and Mrs. Diaz decided they were going to go out for dinner, and told the two young teens that they would be back by early tomorrow morning. They trusted Marco and Star.

The blonde dimensional princess in question was flipping through the tv channels while seated on the ground, intrigued by everything she saw since she didn’t have tv back on Mewni. But then she heard the voice of her best friend and his question and she jumped, unceremoniously fumbling with the remote. “Y - Yeah !” she called back, and then her eyes pored over the dvd selection. For a while she and Marco had resorted to watching television shows, but then they got into movies. All kinds of movies. Some were good, some were kinda bad, some were _really_ bad, but Star was usually good at picking. Today’s selection was _Pacific Rim_ , something she had heard about from the kids at the Echo Creek high school. Mainly because they said the sequel came out, and it was _awesome_! Their words, not hers. But she wouldn’t be able to see the second without the _first_ , and buying the DVD hadn’t been an issue.

They rather preferred movies now, and Marco had even taught Star how to function the DVD player in case she ever wanted to watch on her own time (which was very unlikely, but she appreciated the gesture).

And getting to watch it with Marco? That was even better. It was almost as if she _wasn’t_ dealing with the overbearing weight of her crush on the brunette in the other room. _Almost._ But she wasn’t going to let those kinds of thoughts ruin the literal best day of the week. All because she could spend time with Marco without any interruptions! Plus, the sun was going down, which meant prime darkness for watching the action movie. She liked watching them in darkness, because then the _dark_ parts in the movie she could actually _see_.

“What did you pick?” Marco’s voice came again, this time closer. She turned her head slightly to see him leaning against the doorframe in his nightwear, watching her curiously. The light was on in the kitchen, and his back and his chocolate eyes were illuminated with the glow as he crossed his arms, waiting for her response. The blonde girl tore her gaze away, trying to still her racing heart, and instead picked up the DVD case from where it was on the carpet, lifting herself off the floor and moving over to where he was, using the kitchen light as a guide as she showed him what she had picked with giddy enthusiasm.

“ _Pacific Rim_?” He questioned, and arched an eyebrow at her. She gave an exuberant nod, and his lips curled in such a way that made her heart do flip flops. “Well, alright then. But hey, are you gonna watch it in that?” He gestured to her clothing and she looked down, rolling her eyes at the boy before opening her mouth to respond. “Yes _of course_ Marco I’m going to watch in my day clothes.” Her voice dripped with sarcasm. He couldn’t help it: He laughed, and then she began laughing too, holding the DVD against her chest. At one point it seemed like they were going to stop laughing, but Star glanced at Marco again and then she started laughing even _harder_ , which in turn made Marco laugh too.

“ _Okay,_ okay — My sides!” The blonde exclaimed, and tried catching her breath, calming down because yeah, her sides started to hurt with all that laughing. The slightly taller boy in front of her began to calm down too, smiling from ear to ear.

“I’m gonna go get changed!” Star turned away and she put the DVD down on the couch before bolting upstairs, rushing into her room and closing the door behind her. Her cheeks were on fire, and she slumped against the door, staring up. “Oh _Mewni_ he’s going to be the death of me..” she murmured, and her eyes fell half-lidded as she reflected on the warm feeling that had spread from her head to her toes. It was so _nice.._

She shook herself out of her reverie. “Okay Star, get ahold of yourself. This isn’t the time for that.” She placed her hands on either one of the hearts on her cheeks and gave them a gentle slap, taking a deep breath. No, definitely not the time for that. Movie night with her best friend. Nothing more, but nothing less. It was a tradition.

She took a few minutes to change into her sleepwear, deciding not to use her wand (it was still showing evidence of that sickly green stuff). One problem at a time, and really, it was just getting changed! She could do that without magic. Once she pulled on her nightdress and placed her horned headband on the nightstand nearby, she debated putting her hair up, but decided against it. And with a smile to her mirror, she made her way back down the stairs.

Marco was still in the kitchen, adding the last touches to his nachos, and when Star peered in, she noticed he was on his phone. “Maaaaarco!” She sang, and he screamed and jumped, almost knocking over the nachos, lowering the electronic device. “Star!!” He retorted accusingly, and she zipped from the room, laughing boisterously. “Hurry up slowpoke!” She called, and sat on the floor, turning on the DVD player and opening the case that housed _Pacific Rim_. She popped the disc into the player, and heard Marco’s footsteps from behind. Excited, she closed the DVD tray and switched over the television to the right setting, as Marco taught her.

The boy sat himself on the couch with a sigh, pulling one of the blankets across his legs. The light had been turned out in the kitchen, the nachos on the coffee table in front of them, and the only light was the tv’s glow. When Star turned her head back to look at him, she was practically glowing, too. Her blue eyes sparkled, and then she smiled and turned back to her task at hand. Marco watched her for a few more seconds, almost entranced, and then felt his phone vibrate, which caused him to bend his head and focus on the little screen.

When Star next turned to look at him, he was occupied with something on the cellular device. She didn’t pay it much mind, though. Instead, she made sure everything was set in stone and got up from the floor, grunting as she made her way to the couch, sliding up to the opposite end and grabbing her own blanket, the remote in her hands.

“Do you want me to control the movie or — ?” Marco asked, looking up from his phone, and Star gave a fervent shake of her head, “No, I can do it!” She said with determination. “I mean come on, Marco, how hard can it be?” She tossed the remote from hand to hand as if to prove a point — And then it fell to the floor. Oh, _great_. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment and she bent down to grasp the little rectangular device, huffing as she settled back against the couch. “Seriously, I got it!” She waved her hands back and forth, and Marco opened his mouth to say something but then shook his head. “Okay.” He conceded, and then was back to glancing at his phone.

Colors flashed on the screen, and the previews began to roll. A few of these movies Star had seen, and then there were one or two she hadn’t, and mentally added them to her list of _what-to-watch-with-Marco-on-Friendship-Thursdays._  She got herself comfortable on the couch, pulling the blanket up to her chin in contentment, her fingers brushing against the remote just underneath. It was silent for a moment, and then the movie began to start. But there was this _annoyingly_ bright light because it was night and it was perfect for watching movies, and blue eyes shifted to the side — Marco was _still_ on his phone! Okay, just what the heck? She resisted the urge to just flat out yell at him, but come on – _Really?_  “Marco?” she said his name, and he hummed a response, but he didn’t look up.

The movie was still playing, and the princess opened her mouth to ask if she should pause it, or maybe just ask him to put the phone _down_ — And then, the doorbell rang. Star’s head shot up, because for one, the Diazes weren’t coming home till later, and she didn’t know anyone else who would be here. And _two_ – Friendship Thursday was a day for _Marco and her_.

Speaking of the boy, there he goes, kicking off his blanket and he’s got this dumb expression on his face, moving towards the door. No, Star! Stop! Not cute. Not _cute_.

... Totally cute.

“Marco, wait -” Star started, and blue eyes were a little apprehensive as she reached a hand out into the air, uncertain. What if it was Ludo? A _burglar_? Okay, okay, maybe that was a little far fetched. A burglar wouldn’t knock on their house door. Still, Star felt her insides clench with nervousness, eyes glued to the door as Marco got to it first. He didn’t seem worried — Like, _at all_. And she had a bad feeling. She finally fumbled for the remote and paused their movie, shifting so her blanket was down at her lap. She didn’t understand. Even if it was a monster or someone bad she could blast them with a stroke of her wand — It was here under the blanket with her. But no, she was just.. _Anxious_.

“There you are!” That was Marco’s voice as he unlocked and pulled open the door, greeting whoever was on the other side. _There you are_? That implied he had been waiting for someone.

And that ‘someone’ could really only be –

Wait.

Oh _no_.

“Yeah! Sorry dude, my parents were nagging me about the curfew. All’s good, though!” A cheerful girly voice.

No.

That was _Jackie’s_ voice.

Star felt a lump form in her throat. Why was Jackie here? And _why_ hadn’t Marco said anything about her coming here? Maybe she was just in the neighborhood, maybe it was just coincidence, come on Star don’t jump to conclusions just yet —

“Star! I invited Jackie to come over for Friendship Thursday. As long as that’s okay with you?” You idiot, that’s what you say _before_ inviting your girlfriend over! It’s too late now. Marco had let the skateboarding girl in, closing the door behind her and watching Star from where he was. Star could feel the weight on her, suffocating her, she struggled to breathe, to _think —_ _This couldn’t be happening._ The pressure was on.

Marco had _invited_ Jackie to Friendship Thursday? A day only meant for the two of them? Why would he do that to her? Doesn’t he know how much this day means to her? Did it mean _anything_ to him if he was just so willing to invite Jackie to something for the _two of them_?

“Well, duh! Of course it’s okay! Why wouldn’t it be?” She smiled, and oh Mewni she hoped it looked convincing, because inside she was _breaking._  But it seemed her outward appearance gave no indication of her inward struggle, and Jackie looked relieved as she stepped towards the couch. “Thanks, Star! Sorry about this, I know these days are strictly Marco and Star time.”

 _If you knew that, why did you come?_ Was all Star could think, but she didn’t let them see through her façade. She liked Jackie, she really did. She was cool and all her ear piercings were super duper cool. She was talented at skateboarding and oh yeah, was Marco’s crush for the literal _longest_ time. But Star had nothing against the girl. She was awesome to hang out with. She wanted Marco to be happy. And he finally was dating the girl of his dreams! But this.. This just didn’t settle well with her. It almost felt like a line was being crossed.

But was she going to give hint to any of the raging feelings inside of her? No, not this time. She tried sharing a glance with Marco, but the boy almost looked as though he were _purposely_ avoiding direct eye contact, moving across the room when the door had been closed to sit on the couch, settling with a content sigh and waiting for Jackie to take off her shoes, prop up her skateboard, and join him. Star knew at this point it was too late to talk to her best friend, and also knew this was going to be a _suffocating_ two hours of movie time. At least when it was over she could escape to her room (and probably cry).

“Yo, is this _Pacific Rim_?” Jackie’s incredulous voice floated over as she sat in between Marco and Star, reaching for a nacho to pop it into her mouth, eyes bright. “Dude, I’ve been waiting to see this!” She exclaimed, and leaned up against Marco, and he in turn froze up a little because he was still getting used to such affections (and because he didn’t want Star to feel left out) and then his arm draped around her shoulders lazily, deeming it a perfect situation. Star could feel herself getting more and more upset, but she knew she would be able to hold it until later. She knew one thing for sure: She _had_ to speak to Marco when this was over.

“Star picked it! It’s only a few minutes in, right Star?” Marco said her name, and yet he was still looking at Jackie as he spoke, waving his unused arm in a gesture.

The princess almost forgot to reply, dumbfounded. “Yeeeaaah, she’s just in time!” she hummed, attempting to sound cheery, and forced her head to turn to stare at the television screen, her thumb fumbling for the play button and pressing it firmly. The sound began to filter through the speakers (Marco said they had something called surround sound? Whatever that was), and the princess was absorbed in her thoughts.

Marco had been texting _Jackie_ that entire time before the movie officially started. Did that mean that this was something they had already talked about?

The more she thought about it, the worse Star began to feel. Did Marco really go behind her back like that? Weren’t they best friends? Besties? Why did he..

She felt the backs of her eyes sting, and she knew she had to get ahold of herself. But this was just.. Awful. If she didn’t get a rein in on her emotions _right now_ , this was going to end badly. The blonde focused her attention back on the screen, determined to shut out the two other teens sitting next to her.

And you know what? It actually worked for a while. By the time the movie was over and the credits were rolling, Star was feeling the slightest bit better, snuggled up on the arm of the couch and her blue eyes wide with wonder. Because let’s be honest — _Giant robots were freaking amazing_!! And when it was over, she immediately turned her head to Marco to gush to him about how cool it was and the such, her mouth already opening and the words on the tip of her tongue — But then she remembered that Jackie was there too, and suddenly she didn’t feel as excited. She hadn’t even touched the nachos. Marco and Jackie ate them all.

It wasn’t as though Marco and Jackie were like – hands all over each other, sharing kisses... No, they were just sitting next to each other and Jackie had her head on his shoulder under a blanket. It would have been purely _adorable_ if Star didn’t have a soul crushing, well, crush, on the boy in question. Her chest gave a subtle ache and she lowered her gaze to the remote in front of her, stopping the movie and getting up to eject the disc.

“That was rad!” Jackie was laughing, and then she looked at Star, “What did you think?” She was really interested in knowing what the dimensional princess thought. Star took a second to think about it, and then she waved her hands, imitating explosions. “It was _incredible_!” She gushed, and sent a smile towards the other girl. Jackie seemed happy with the answer and got up from the couch. “I should probably be getting back.” She chimed, and Marco got up with her to take her to the door. He hadn’t said anything this entire time..

“Bye Jackie!” Star waved to the other, and then kneeled on the floor as she pressed the eject button on the DVD player, opening the case for the movie and slipping it inside. The safest care for DVDs like this. She placed the DVD off to the side, and then reached for the remote again, ready to turn it off. The blue light from the DVD player screen shone off of her, illuminating her form. Marco was heard saying goodbye to Jackie, and Star chose this time to shut off the tv, grasp her wand from the couch, and make her way to the stairs.

The stairs and the front door weren’t too far from each other, so she had gotten one hand on the railing and one foot on the first step before she felt Marco’s warm hand grasp her other wrist holding her wand. “Wait a second -” he said, and Star froze, swallowing thickly. She knew she needed to talk to him, but right now she just wanted to run and hide. Instead, she sighed, and turned to face him, allowing the hurt to shimmer in her blue eyes. “Why’d you do that, Marco?” her voice was a quiet and pain-filled whisper, and in the darkness he could see the heartbroken look on her face.

 _What is she talking about?_ Marco was confused, and he did not like the look on his best friend’s face. “I was going to ask you if you really liked the movie, and now I’m going to ask what you mean by that. Why’d I do what?” Puzzled, he kept his grip on the princess’ wrist. Star took a breath, and with a frustrated growl, yanked her wrist from his hand. “Why did you invite Jackie to Friendship Thursday?” she asked, blue clashing with brown as they met eyes. Marco reeled back at the sheer aggression in her eyes, but also at the utter _upset_ flashing in those orbs. Why was she getting so upset? He had noticed she was unusually quiet during the movie, but he assumed it was because she was invested in the film. They’d invited Pony Head that one time, too.

Okay Diaz, be careful. You’re treading on dangerous waters. “I just thought it would be fun, Star.” He offered, and the quick way in which Star ripped her gaze from him with a frown told him that was _not_ the right answer at all, and that actually wasn’t the full truth. The tension was growing between them. “I mean, it’s just like any other day of the week. Just with.. A title, I guess.” He gave a nonchalant shrug, and tried smiling at her. “Come on Star, it’s not that big of a deal.” He wanted to forget this and move on.

Oh, that was _definitely not the right thing to say._

Star’s expression was lost, and then her brows furrowed. “Not that big of a deal?” She echoed. “Marco, Friendship Thursdays have always been a you and me thing!” She protested, and it seems Marco couldn’t see how much that statement hurt her. So, Friendship Thursday was just a day like any other, where they watched a film together and ate nachos? It wasn’t a day that showed they were the best of friends, that they were inseparable? A day where you just hung out with _each other_?

But this day meant more to her. It always had. And at some point, she had thought it did to him, too.

“We can watch a movie and eat nachos any other day, Star!” Marco retorted, and his eyebrows were drawing down in a signature way to show he was getting frustrated. “Okay seriously, what is your deal? We still watched the movie together! We just had some company, and -”

“Friendship Thursday is _only you and me_!” Star’s voice was raising, and she spun around on the stairs to look down at the other boy, meeting her stare, anger swimming in her gaze. “No one else! And what’s worse, you didn’t even ask me if inviting Jackie was okay! You waited until the exact last second, as if my opinion were irrelevant!” Her knuckles were turning white where they grasped the railing of the stairs, trying to take a lungful of air.

“She’s my girlfriend! I’m allowed to invite her _to my own house_!” The brunette snapped, and it seems he didn’t quite get that that _wasn’t_ what Star was trying to say, because he was hearing the wrong things too. The princess groaned, palming a hand down her face. “I’m not saying you can’t, Marco! But _I’m_ your best friend, not her! _I’m_ the one you’ve always had Friendship Thursdays with!” She was getting hysterical, she knew it in the tone of her voice. But she couldn’t stop.

“ _Well maybe I just needed to skip a Thursday or two with my ‘best friend’!_ ” Marco shouted, throwing his hands up in the air, “maybe I just wanted to hang out with someone different because _all I’ve done for the last few days is hang out with you!”_

And as soon as he said it, he choked on his own words. Had that really come out of his mouth? No! That wasn’t what he meant! Jackie had thought he was ignoring her and to show that he wasn’t, he invited her to Friendship Thursday! Because ever since Ludo had taken the spellbook and Glossaryck, Marco had been keeping an eye on Star to make sure she was okay, like a best friend would! And that’s _not_ what he just said. He just made Star feel as though this was her fault.. Why did his words have to get so twisted up? And questioning his status as her best friend? Of course he was her best friend..

Star was _his_ best friend, but worrying so much about her began to make Jackie feel dejected with how little she got to see the other (besides school of course). And Marco thought that, by inviting her, he saved their relationship. There hadn’t been _time_ to tell Star. Jackie had decided while he was making nachos _for_ this day _right before the movie_ that she was feeling a little insecure.. Friendship Thursday was important to him. But so was his relationship with this girl. Next thing he knew, he had invited Jackie to watch the movie, and she was going to get there before it started, but she ran a little late telling her parents plus a talk about curfew, hence why Marco had to text her during that time too. He didn’t think Star was going to blow a gasket over this! It was just one day! Star was usually more chill than this. And she had lied when she said she was okay with it.. It wasn’t going to happen again.. But he failed to voice that in time. And now she was hurt.

Oh, she was so hurt.

Over a miscommunication.

That was entirely his fault.

Star was frozen, her eyes wide with shock and sheer disbelief, and it was dead silent. And then, her bottom lip began to tremble. She was unraveling. He was right. He had been spending so much time with her because all she wanted to do was go on adventures and kick monster butt. Because it made her feel better.. Blasting a monster in the face with her narwhal blast.. She didn’t think she was being a bother to Marco. Something told her to wait, figure out what he really meant to say because Marco would _never_ say that to her, but her instincts kicked in.

Run.

“Wait, Star, I – ” he cut himself off as the pink hearts on the girl’s cheeks promptly cracked in half, a tear spilling down her cheek and through the two halves. Marco was struck dumb at the sight, because he _hated_ how it made him feel. He didn’t want to see her cry. But this was all his fault. Because of his stresses with keeping his girlfriend _and_ his best friend happy. It had jumbled up everything he wanted to say. Hadn’t Star realized the uneasy expression on his face when he was texting Jackie? Because it had been so _sudden!_  Jackie had been hinting maybe this wouldn’t work out and he panicked! That was it!

Before he could react, the princess turned on her heels and ran up the stairs, almost tripping on one as she fumbled to get away from him as soon as possible, a sob ripping itself from her throat. He heard the door to her room slam, and then nothing. Marco crouched down, burying his head in his hands. He really Starred that one up...

Star slumped against the door, trying to hiccup back another sob as another fat tear rolled down her cheek, hands clenched into fists against the door and the wand falling to the floor, the princess soon following suit. She slouched against the door, still crying, and buried her head into her knees.

And this is why we have a guilty Marco and a depressed Star.

The dimensional princess sobbed into her knees, arms wrapped tightly around herself. Was this her fault? Had she expected too much of her best friend? Her _crush_? Because of course, that had a huge part to play in this. Star wasn’t one to reflect on such negative emotions like jealousy, but seeing Jackie and Marco all coddled together on the couch..

It really did things to her. Like that creeping jealousy that had wrapped it’s cold hand around her heart and squeezed it whenever she saw Marco making googoo eyes at Jackie..

Ah geez, that only made her cry harder. She wasn’t the one Marco wanted, and that was okay. She could live with that. But the things he said back there... She curled even further into herself, hiccuping and sobbing in the darkness. It wasn’t fair... Why did she have to fall for Marco like this? Maybe she was acting a little childishly right now, but she didn’t care. It wasn’t dramatic, she firmly told herself.

 _Friendship Thursdays have always been our thing, Marco.. Haven’t they?_ _It’s different than a normal day.._

Her shoulders shook from her cries, muffled against her clothing.

“Star...?”

Marco’s voice. The Latino had slowly come up the stairs, knowing he needed to fix this, and fast. If he just _explained,_  maybe she would understand – “Star, please listen to me.” he stopped at her door, leaning his forehead against the wood. He could hear her crying on the other side, and it was making his chest ache. This was his best friend, and she needed comfort right now. He had been the one to hurt her, he knew that, but if she just _listened_...

“G - Go away, Marco..” the princess sniffled feebly, eyes shut tight. No, she didn’t want to talk to him right now. Just go, Marco. Leave her alone.

But he didn’t. Star needed him. Whether she liked it or not, he was staying. “I’m not going anywhere, Star.” He said with determination, and the girl’s voice hitched from the other side, followed by a sentence. “I don’t want to talk to you.”

Okay, he had to admit, that _did_ sting a little. But she was suffering more than him right now. He had fixed his relationship, and now he needed to fix _this_. “Star,” his voice was strained, and he sat on the opposite side of the door, thumping his head against the wood. “I know you’re not going to believe me, but I _didn’t_ plan with Jackie about this. I would _never_ do that to you. Do you think I actually would?” He started off soft. He had to make her understand.

Another pitiful sniffle, and then a few seconds later Star gave a response, “I had _hoped_ you wouldn’t.” She said, and then she wiped at her eyes, frustrated when more tears fell. “How am I supposed to believe you?” She scoffed, and angrily stared at the floor. “Maybe you should go away so you don’t have to spend time with me.” She muttered bitterly. “Or maybe I’ll just go back to Mewni, and I’ll never come back, and —” She has started to ramble a bit. Really, she’d never be able to leave Marco on such negative terms, no matter how bad she’s feeling. Those words kind of just slipped out.

“No! Star, anything but that!” Marco’s desperation seeped through, staring at the door with horror-filled chocolate eyes, and Star felt a sickening satisfaction at the way he reacted. No, he didn’t want that. “Don’t go back to Mewni.” He pleaded, shuffling on the floor, worried she was going to use the scissors and just _go_.

Star was dangerously silent for a bit, a few sniffles the only indication she had been crying her heart out. “Fine. I won’t leave yet.” she mumbled, “Now will you go away?” Her voice was exasperated.

She was determined on getting him to leave. She wanted to be left alone.

“I’m not finished,” Marco insisted, and gave a sigh. “I’ve been spending a _lot_ of time with you,” he said, and the princess winced, feeling the hurt from the earlier words take hold again. The boy continued, “I know I probably messed up my words real badly. But Star, I didn’t mean to make you feel bad. I’ve been _worried_ about you!”

“And then you got annoyed with me being a bother.” The princess finished for him, her voice a resentful whisper.

“No, Star! I don’t know why I said those things... The truth is, Jackie has been feeling kind of insecure about our relationship because she didn’t get to see me so much.. Since I was watching you.. Ever since the night of the dance..” he trailed off, but by this time, Star had lifted her head from her arms, uncertainty bubbling inside of her. “You’ve been acting strange.” Marco added. She held her breath. She had confidence he wouldn’t be able to figure out what was going on in her head, though.

Marco took the sudden quiet as a sign to continue.

“I was worried about you, and I started neglecting her. It’s only been a bit before she became my girlfriend, but I was panicking.. I didn’t mean to ignore her, I’ve just been so used to always being with you, and I’m trying to make my relationship work while keeping you happy — I didn’t mean to make it sound like I was tired of you. I was just frustrated. Star, the truth is, I didn’t want Jackie there either.” He confessed, and began to scratch the back of his neck. “Man, I must sound so contradicting.. I seriously didn’t think you were going to mind this much if it was just one night..” he let the sentence drag on, listening for anything from the princess.

“You didn’t want her there?” her voice came through the door, soft and sweet, with only a hint of crying mixed in.

He was getting through to her. Be careful, Marco. “No, because Friendship Thursday has always been a thing for you and me. You were right. But I was scared she was going to leave me, Star.. Tonight was the _absolute_ worst night to have issues, but I couldn’t do anything about it! I’m head over heels for this girl I did anything I could to make sure she would stay, and that was inviting her over!” He pulled at his hair a little stressfully. Star pretended she didn’t hear that part about being madly in love.

“But then..” Her voice was confused. Marco perked up, halting the ministrations to his hair, “Then?”

“Why did you make it seem like Friendship Thursday wasn’t a big deal? That _hurt_ , Marco. You know how special it is to me..” The girl gave a heavy sigh. “You also said that I was taking up all your time.. Am I that bad, Marco?” Her voice was barely audible now, and Marco wished she would open the door.

“No, no, Star, hey — You’re amazing. You’re incredible. I know you take these things really seriously, I didn’t mean for this to happen.. I just said the wrong things..” he was groaning now, laying on the floor. “With Jackie there, I didn’t want to call it Friendship Thursday. She had told me she was in the neighborhood and started acting weird so I was just like ‘hey Jackie come over to watch this movie’ because I panicked like a Marco and you know what her first thought was?” He paused a second, then continued. “You. She knew how much this day meant to you too, but Star.. She was really happy to be a part of it.” He finished, and it was silent once again. But the tension has lessened, which was a bonus.

There was a shuffling from Star’s side of the door, and then her voice sounded higher up, as if she had gotten off the floor. “You invited Jackie to _our_ night to save your relationship because you were panicking she was going to leave you? I guess I can understand that.. As long as it doesn’t happen again. Or at least _tell_ me what’s going on. Honestly I’m only really feeling hurt about the whole me taking up your entire time thing, because you’re not always obligated to come with my on my adventures.” She paused. “I lost my spellbook and Glossaryck. I told you before.. It was my family history, all the spells that every queen before me wrote down when it was mastered. Nothing makes me happier than adventures and kicking monster butt.. You _know_ that, ever since I had that really bad day because Oskar didn’t call me and you cheered me up by doing _exactly that_. And you’re my best friend.. I wouldn’t want to hang out with anyone else. But if you really want me to find someone else, I could — ”

“No!” Marco interjected, waving his hands from the other side even though she couldn’t see it. “No, Star.” He said a little more calmly. “I don’t want that. I promise, I didn’t mean what I said. We can still go on adventures and kick monster butt.” If Star got a new best friend he knew he was going to get jealous. Let’s avoid that for now. “Speaking of Oskar, how’s that going?”

There’s a beat of silence. Star was weighing her options. She could tell him the truth, but she could kind of _dance_ around the truth too.

“I moved on from him.” Star admitted softly, but when Marco pressed her for further information, she shut herself up tight. She was _not_ going to open that can of worms.

Then, a few minutes of a pressuring silence followed.

“Here.. Move away from the door so I can open it.” Star waited until she heard Marco scoot away before she turned the handle, pushing open the door. The moonlight from her windows filtered in and lit up her backside, shadows flitting across her face. But then she turned her head and Marco could see the red-rimmed eyes and the exhaustion. He got off the floor and took a step into her room, standing a few feet away from the girl. “Star?” Oh no, her lip was trembling again. Don’t you dare start crying, Star.

9-1-1 what’s your emergency?

Yeah hi I’m in cardiac arrest because my best friend keeps crying.

Yeesh.

“I - I know I can be a handful,” the princess began, and lifted her hand to wipe at the tears threatening to roll, doing her best to remain calm. Marco felt his heart break. “But I love spending time with you and Friendship Thursday is something I hold dear to me.. Because it’s _our_ day. I - If you had just told me about Jackie, I wouldn’t have pressured you to the point of exploding and maybe we wouldn’t be hurting like this. I overreacted too, but there’s a lot going on right now..” she looked away and grasped her arm with a hand, rubbing it up and down as a mannerism to show she was nervous. “I take all of this so seriously, and maybe it’s my fault this happened,” she glanced down.

“Wait, Star..” Marco began.

“Let me finish,” she allowed a commanding tone to briefly overtake her sweet voice, and then sighed, shoulders slumping. “Ever since I lost Glossaryck and the book I’ve been _really_ depressed. And that’s weird, right? Star Butterfly, the kicker of monster butt and a literal ray of sunshine and laser puppies, sad?” Marco watched her helplessly, his eyes widening. What else was she hiding from him?

“I’ve like.. I’ve been really trying to get over it and move on, but.. I just.. Things aren’t going my way. And I never thought you’d yell at me and even though it isn’t what I thought what if one day you _do_ get sick of me?” She finally raised her head, blue eyes meeting chocolate. “You’re right; It isn’t like me to get upset about you inviting Jackie for one time. But things are super different for me.. And that’s probably why I overreacted. I’m sorry.”

Here she was, playing her cards. Her fears were spread across the table. Something else was bothering her, that much Marco could tell. And it wasn’t because she was thinking about going back home and being Queen. More like.. Something emotional. “Why are things different for you?” He decided to question gently.

 _Because I have a crush on you, duh._ Was Star’s immediate thought, but there was no way she could say that directly. She had no idea how he was going to react, and their friendship was everything to her. “T - They just.. Are.” She stuttered weakly, finally breaking eye contact.

Marco didn’t seem satisfied with the answer, but he knew better than to press on. And now it was his turn. “I’m really sorry for what I said, Star. I’d never skip a Friendship Thursday. I’d never hurt you like that. Jackie’s my girlfriend, but you’re my _best friend_. But I hope you know that this also kind of means I’m gonna have to take a break and start hanging out with her, too..” he sounded guilty by the end of the statement, reaching back a hand and scratching the back of his head.

Star felt better, though. He apologized. He didn’t mean any of it.

“ _And_ I’m sorry for instinctively inviting Jackie over, too. Without saying anything to you was a bad move. There was just so little time and by the time I realized what was happening it was too late –“

_-Before the movie-_

_Marco was getting the nachos ready. He and Star has already discussed they would be watching_ Pacific Rim _and he was actually pretty excited. Friendship Thursdays were awesome with his bestie. And Star was always so bubbly and excited, which made it a hundred times better!_

_The Latino felt his phone vibrate, and glanced at the screen. A text from Jackie?_

_Jackie_ : Hey, Marco. I just wanted to know if you wanted to hang out. We could go skateboarding again or something?

_Marco felt an uneasiness surface. He was going to have to say no._

_Marco_ : Sorry, Jackie, not tonight. Today is Friendship Thursday and it’s kind of a day where Star and I just relax. We’ve always done it since she came here from Mewni! :)

 _As soon as he sent it, he felt that growing unease get worse. It was making his insides clench, and he felt a little queasy. He saw the three little dots as his girlfriend typed a reply. He hoped she wasn’t skateboarding_ and _texting._

 _Jackie:_ Alright, but hey, Marco.. You’ve been spending a lot of time with Star. And I know she’s your best friend, but.. If you care about her so much, why not be with her? Maybe we made a mistake?

_And at this point, Marco was staring down at the phone in disbelief. Was Jackie insinuating he felt something more than friends with Star? That was ridiculous! And that’s the same time the girl in question decided to scare him after pulling on her nightclothes, telling him to hurry up. He finished up with the nachos and brought them out to the living room. Star was ready._

_He put the nachos down on the coffee table and sat on the couch, grasping a blanket and then looking down at his phone, unsure of what to say. And then, it hit him._

_He started texting back, not knowing that Star was getting annoyed with the light as the movie started._

_Marco:_ How about you come over? Star won’t mind. And then later we can talk about hanging out?

 _He was kind of panicking. He had had a crush on this girl for so long, and he_ finally _had her! But she was uncertain, and he needed to fix this fast._

_She didn’t text him back, and the brunette’s brows furrowed with worry. He sent her a text, and then jumped when the doorbell rang._

_Jackie:_ I’m here. Sorry about the wait!

_And that’s when he had gotten up and opened the door, exclaiming, “There you are!”_

Star was looking at him a little more seriously now, and he wasn’t sure when, but Marco had taken a few steps into her room closer to her. She raised her gaze, peeking at him from under her eyelashes. “We both really Starred that one up,” she joked, but the smile left her lips just as quickly. Her eyes were still watery, threatening tears again.

He didn’t understand it. Why was she so sad now?

Star was trying not to think about _those_ feelings. The overbearing crush she had on this boy. He had only been trying to make sure Jackie wanted to be with him. She got in the _way,_  even if Marco didn’t admit it to her directly. Because he was worrying about her. She resolved to not make him worry anymore. There’s a sniffle, and she wipes her eyes, bending down to pick up her wand. “Maybe it’s time to call it a night,” she suggests, and turns away from him. She was emotionally exhausted at this point.

“Hugs?” The Latino offers weakly, and surprised blue eyes shift to him, and _then_ there’s that smile he’s been waiting to see. Star comes towards him, her arms wrapping around his neck and his around her waist. She rests her head on his shoulder. “Hugs.” She replies, and then her grip tightens a moment, “Sorry for making you worry about me,” she says softly, and relishes the contact she’s getting right now. He’s warm, and he smells nice..

He smiles against her, and there’s a relieved sigh. “You mean so much to me, Star,” he confessed, and the princess felt her chest ache with the words, knowing he didn’t mean it the way she wanted it to. “You’re my best friend,” he continued, and started threading his hands through her hair, a gesture she enjoyed tremendously. “I’m gonna have to start hanging out with Jackie a little bit more, and I’m _really_ sorry..” he trailed off, guilt crawling into his voice.

Star stiffened a little, frowning against his chest. She could distinctly hear his heartbeat, and knew he was having a hard time with this. “Don’t be sorry. I’ll be okay,” she assured, and leaned back to look at him through half-lidded eyes, a little smile curling her lips. “It’ll be fine,” she said, and Marco’s brows were drawn up in worry.

The princess stepped back and reached for his hand, allowing herself just this one time to indulge in her crush feelings for the boy. He probably wasn’t going to do anything anyway. She grasped his fingers and turned her head, pulling him along towards the bed. And she nearly stopped dead in her tracks when he threaded their fingers together, a question in his voice when he said her name, “Star?”

He was obviously wondering why she was pulling him to her bed. She swallowed thickly. “Just for tonight. Please.” She plead in a whisper, unable to turn her head to look at him due to the fact her cheeks were on fire.

Marco was hesitant of course.. He had a girlfriend. But Star _needed_ this. Just let her have one night. Then she’ll be back to normal tomorrow, and it’ll be all okay.

“What if my parents come?” Marco questioned, and the princess gave a shrug, still pulling his hand as she crawled onto the bed. “You take one side, I have the other. Say I had a nightmare or something..”

That wasn’t too far from the truth. The last few nights she has been having nightmares. But not the screaming in your sleep kind, the subtle kind that left you in a cold sweat and your heart racing fast. She didn’t want that again tonight. Star was scared.

She finally let go of Marco’s hand and he settled on the left side of the bed, shifting under the blankets. He was going to protest about doing this, but the look in Star’s eyes had made the protest die in his throat. So, he was doing this. He laid down next to her. “Goodnight, Star.”

She rested her head on the pillow, tucking her wand under her pillow. “Goodnight, Marco.” She whispered back, and shut her eyes alongside him. They had a few feet of space between them. Soon enough, Star’s gentle breathing began, signaling she was asleep. But the boy was not. He opened his eyes, letting them adjust to the dark again, and looked at the girl before him, coddled up in her blankets.

There was something off with her, he knew that. He just couldn’t figure out _what_. And even if she said not to worry, of course he was going to. She was his best friend, after all. He searched her expression, wondering what she was hiding. The hearts on her cheeks were back to normal, a pink rosy color. Her face lacked any worry lines, just smooth skin. He watched her for a while, and then he slowly felt himself dozing off.

He was halfway to his own dreamland when it happened.

The blankets rustled, and his eyes popped open, sitting up. He scoured the room, but didn’t see anything.. And then it happened again, right next to him. He shifted, turning on his side, and realized it was Star.

She was twitching in her sleep, lips parted and her breathing erratic, hands clenching into fists and unclenching a few seconds later.

Marco’s eyes drifted down to the digits in question, grasping the sheets in what appeared to be desperation. A soft whimper tore from her throat, and he winced, not liking the way it made him feel. He reached out his hand once he had gotten comfortable, his fingers briefly touching hers.

Her expression went lax immediately, eyelashes fluttering against her cheeks.

Curious, he pulled his hand away, and the fitful twitching began again.

Star was reacting to his hand?

He covered her smaller hand with his own, and gently grasped onto her fingers, watching her every move. She gave a content sigh and relaxed, shoulders slumping further into the mattress.

Marco scooted just a little bit closer, feeling the drowsiness starting to take him. His hand snared Star’s, their fingers lacing together. It felt.. Right, somehow. And it was obvious she wouldn’t be able to sleep without this little security blanket. He could live with it for a night.

“I promise, Star. Everything is gonna be okay.” His voice sounded in the dark, eyes closing to join his best friend on the trip to dreamland.

The princess’ only reply was a soft and peaceful snore.

Just one night.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! This is my longest fic so far, so please leave constructive criticism! And if you see any errors, let me know. I write these on my drive mobile app and then ao3 makes it all funky when I paste it into the box!


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